Oceania Defence Takedown 10/22

Oceania Defence popped up last year from nowhere, with a 22 semi-auto long barrelled pistol called the PPQ based on a Walther, along with a slightly unusual variant of Ruger’s 10/22, 22 semi-auto rifle. It offered a fully suppressed, take-down conversion using Ruger’s original chassis but with new furniture. I was intrigued by Oceania’s take on the subject!

I tend not to use semi-auto 22s for small game, as from my experience they will never be as quiet or reliable as a bolt-action, as you have some blast and noise coming back through the ejection port, due to the blow back action. Secondly, you get a ‘clacking’ noise as the action cycles, which sounds loud at the shooters end. No question, a bolt-gun is quieter, as you control the action; tests using the two types with the same moderator have shown this to be true! However, I’d say at 50-yards + what the signature sounds like to a rabbit is debatable!

Taking the Oceania apart shows the normal 10/22 Takedown action, with the standard, 16.5-inch light barrel. This shows a reduced diameter, parallel chase that slides into the receiver socket at 8 o’clock, then is rotated to 6 o’clock to lock, via an external lug in the forend. Here we see the difference between switch-barrel and takedown designs. The former has the barrel bolted or clamped in and needs tools to take out and can shoot as well as a fixed barrel design. The latter is intended to be quickly disassembled (without tools) to offer easier carriage, however, the trade-off is a less rigid fitment, which might cause accuracy/consistency problems. Ruger incorporated a rotary adjuster collar in the design that takes up some of the unavoidable, end-float between the barrel and receiver.

Magpul

Though the Ruger gun comes with an adequate stock, Oceania have gone one better and used the Magpul X22 Takedown furniture. This offers a more ergonomic butt with adjustable length of pull (LOP) with 0.5-inch spacers from 12.5-14.5-inches and a replaceable comb (cheek riser kits) of 0.25-, 0.-5 and 0.75-inches. The forend, which attaches to the barrel, offers two versions; one for the standard barrel and the other for the heavier-type.

Being a new 10/22, it comes with an extended mag catch and a Picatinny rail on top, the standard cross-bolt safety and manual bolt release/ hold-open remains. So far, it’s been a basic plumbing job, with new components replacing the old, but my main interest was how it had been moderated!

Oceania use the standard barrel and remove the iron sights and machine down the dovetail base at the muzzle. Inspections shows less a moderator and more a large expansion chamber that runs the full length of the barrel. There’s a baffle at the front that screws onto the existing ½ x 20 thread and another at the rear that slides over the barrel to stabilise it; both show radial ports. The middle, 6.5-inch section is drilled with 28, radial holes that allows the firing gases to expand into the outer tube.

It’s easy enough to take apart for cleaning too. First lock the bolt open (VIP) remove the barrel assembly, undo the lower screw and remove the forend undo the forward baffle and tap the muzzle with a rubber mallet to move the barrel rearwards and off the tube. Conversely, you can use a screwdriver as a lever against the block on the underside of the barrel to the same end.

 

Pretty but!

Overall, a neat job and one with a deal of cosmetic appeal; but as always with a moderated firearm, certainly, at this price, performance is the primary concern! For the test, I used three brands of 22LR sub-sonics – Remington and Fiocchi, 40-grain hollow points and the Winchester 42-grain Subsonic MAX. Plus some MagTech 40-grain high velocity (HV) to push the moddy.

Pleasingly, the Oceania ran the three subs reliably, something a 22 semi will not always do, with no problems on the HVs. With subs, I tend to initially test inside the range hut as you get a good idea of how efficient the moddy is and I found them all to be noisy enough to have put my ears on! Something that has never occurred with a bolt-action and muzzle-mounted can.

Taking it outside, there was a reasonable moderation effect with the subs, but I and an independent ear both agreed it was not as quiet as a bolt-action. Oddly enough, the Oceania gun seemed to give near identical results with the HVs and it might be the case this closed-in system works better under more pressure!

 

Chrono and accuracy

Shooting was done at 50- and 100-yards supported. The rifle showed a preference for the Fiocchi and Winchester ammo and was capable of 0.5-0.75-inches at 50-yards, which I thought acceptable. At 100 these opened to 1 - 2-inches, which was to be expected. The ported barrel also showed a drop in velocity, with the Winchesters clocking an average of 1091fps through a standard tube and 1051fps in the ported version. This too was noticeable with the HVs. The Remingtons were sub-1000fps at 979fps, but no big deal!

Now, the acid test; repeatability, as any rifle with a removable barrel, should be capable of returning to zero after the change. Well, the Oceania did and didn’t! Groups both opened and shifted in point of impact. For example, the Fiocchis expanded to around the inch at 50-yards and shifted up and left about ¾-inches. But after around 5-rounds they tended to move back to near zero, yes, I had dialled the barrel in correctly each time. A bit like the old Sauer 202 Take Down; where after a barrel change, the first round would always go high, but was back on with subsequent shots.

 

Conclusion

To me, the Oceania 10/22 is very much a Marmite gun; as from my testing, I don’t feel it moderates as well as say a muzzle-mounted, baffled can like the SAK. In the UK, the appeal of a Takedown is more cosmetic than practical; yes, it looks cool and is clever, but to be fair to your quarry you’d have to check zero every time you put it together to ensure humane kills. A fixed barrel version with the same conversion would remove the point of impact/group size issues and be more marketable. I’d like to see how the Oceania moderator system would work on a bolt-action, as that might be a whole different ball game!

Price-wise it’s £20 shy of a grand, which is not cheap, but then again, the original Ruger Takedown is around £800, but would only need the addition of a can (£30-40) to do the same job. But with the Oceania you do get the superior Magpul stock for around £140!